Israel’s Gilad Sharon spills the beans

Gilad Sharon, son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, wrote in the Jerusalem Post that Israel should “Flatten all of Gaza”.

“There should be no electricity in Gaza, no gasoline or moving vehicles, nothing. Then they’d really call for a ceasefire,” he wrote. “We need to flatten entire neighbourhoods in Gaza. Flatten all of Gaza. The Americans didn’t stop with Hiroshima – the Japanese weren’t surrendering fast enough, so they hit Nagasaki, too.”

Many Israelis and even some Zionists are “outraged” but the truth must be told: Sharon’s views are fully consistent with Zionism, Israeli thinking and aspect of Jewish culture.

Old Testament roots

For example, Sharon’s call is fully consistent with some devastating passages in the Old Testament:

”You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.” (Leviticus, 26:7–8)

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations … you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.” (Deuteronomy 7:1–2)

“Do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them … as the Lord your God has commanded you …” (Deuteronomy 20:16)

…as with his real father and his spiritual forefathers the young Sharon wants to destroy the Gazans, he wants to reduce them and their civilization into dust – thoughts unfortunately embedded in the Old Testament.

So, as with his real father and his spiritual forefathers the young Sharon wants to destroy the Gazans, he wants to reduce them and their civilization into dust – thoughts unfortunately embedded in the Old Testament. Though religious Jews following the Talmud rather than the Torah and may be critical of literal interpretations of the holy book, Gilad Sharon is a secular Israeli and yet he follows here the most banal and literal interpretation of the biblical text.

Sharon’s views are also in line with ultra-Zionist Vladimir Jabotinsky’s “iron wall” philosophy. Jabotinsky believed that in the erection of an “iron wall” which “the native (Arab) population cannot break through”. Some would argue that by 1948 Jabotinsky’s iron wall became the backbone of Israeli political pragmatism and, though largely performed by his political enemies, the Nakba (Arabic for “catastrophe” – the dispossession and ethic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948) could be seen as the materialization of Jabotinsky’s ideology.

Sharon’s views are similar to those expressed this week by Israel’s deputy prime minister, Eli Yishai, who contended: “We must blow Gaza back to the Middle Ages, destroying all the infrastructure including roads and water.”

It is now time to admit that we cannot understand the Israeli collective psychosis and fascination with violence and death without a deep understanding of Jewish culture, Jewish supremacy and Jewish tribalism.

The young Sharon is clearly a truth teller. He offers us a genuine glimpse into the murderous Israeli psychosis, and the message to be drawn is obvious. It is now time to admit that we cannot understand the collective Israeli psychosis and fascination with violence and death without a deep understanding of Jewish culture, Jewish supremacy and Jewish tribalism.

The truth is out

For obvious reasons some Jews and even a few Palestinians do not want us to take this route and insist that we avoid any criticism of the Jewishness of the “Jewish state”. This bankrupted philosophy would be almost funny if it weren’t so tragic: elaborating on the root cause of Zionist barbarism is now an elementary humanist obligation.

I guess that we have reached the point of no return. We must now critically examine Jewish politics, Jewish lobbying and Israeli crimes in the context of Jewish culture. Such an approach may save the world and, hopefully, also save many Jews from the shackles of their own heritage.

Finally, here is an anecdote. I was amused to learn that the notorious Zionist, Jeffrey Goldberg, himself an ex-Israeli army concentration camp guard, was among the first to denounce Gilad Sharon.

Writing in his Twitter account (@JeffreyGoldberg), he said, in reference to Sharon’s article: “Gilad Sharon has called on Israel to bomb Gaza to oblivion. I’m semi-surprised the Jerusalem Post published such dreck.”

It is not at all clear whether or not Goldberg opposes Sharon’s views. However, it is obvious that Goldberg is tormented by the idea that Sharon’s view have leaked out.

Goldberg believes that the murderous aspects so intrinsic to tribal supremacy are better kept within the ghetto walls. He doesn’t want the gentiles to know about them.

So, predictably, Goldberg was among the first to attack my book The Wandering Who? and pursued my endorsers for the exact same reasons. He was very concerned about what people read about Israel, Zionism, Jewish identity politics, and the ideology that motivates him to serve in our midst as a Zionist agent.